Gerontophilia

Dull and pointless, Gerontophilia centers on young fetishist Lake (Pier-Gabriel Lajoie), who takes his sexual preoccupation with old men into the retirement home where he works as an aide. Lake offers himself to a few of the feeble residents and develops a bond with Melvyn (Walter Borden), an octogenarian whose joie de vivre has been suppressed due to a combination of institutional rules and psychotropic drugs. Breaking Melvyn out and heading for the West Coast, Lake's relationship with his companion becomes part lover and part surrogate grandson, an unsettling combination that director Bruce LaBruce tries to make work without meaningful success. Katie Boland provides backup support as the film's biggest cliché, a smart geek-girl who supports best friend Lake in his quixotic perversity but regrets that she can't have him as a kindred-spirit boyfriend. A disappointing film that is also visually monotonous, this is not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a Q&A with director Bruce LaBruce at MoMA (24 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (T. Keogh)